


The Chemicals Between Us

by SpaceKase



Series: Everything Is Alright [1]
Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: 90s references, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexuality, Canon Character of Color, Canon Gay Character, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Polyamory, SO MUCH FLUFF, SO many 90s references, Self-Harm, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Underage Drinking, by American standards I mean, there's a brief mention of it anyway, these kids are cuddle monsters I effing swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-04-01 09:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceKase/pseuds/SpaceKase
Summary: The story of how three friends became something more.Takes place in an alternate universe where none of the kids were arrested, murdered, or demonically possessed. Sal, Larry, and Ash are just three relatively normal young adults trying to figure themselves and each other out from the mid to late 90s.





	1. In Bloom

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of obsessed with this game now. Darn it, why can't I pick an obsession and stick with it? XP
> 
> Anyway. This fic came about for a few reasons. One) I love these characters, and it pained me to see things look so bad for them in the game's present day, so I made an AU for it. Two) I love Sal x Larry as much as the next person, but I also grew to love Sal x Ash. I can't decide which I like more, so I went for both. I really wanted to see fanfic for it, but alas, there was none, sooooo I'm doing it myself.
> 
> This is going to be a multi chapter fic. I have no idea how long it's going to be, or what the update schedule will be, so as always, bear with me.

Ashley huffed and grunted as she finally reached the top of the staircase. She managed to open the door by awkwardly placing the pile of heavy but small boxes on one of her hips, leaving one hand free to fuss with the doorknob. Once she was through, she just stopped short of dropping them on the floor. They had neighbors beneath; she didn't want to give a bad first impression by making too much noise.

 "Okay there, Ash?"

 "Fine!" called Ashley. "Just, you know...out of shape."

 Larry’s face poked out from around the doorway that led to their tiny kitchen. "Here; let me get that," he said, picking the two boxes off with much more ease than she had.

 She folded her arms across her chest. "Show-off," she said, teasingly.

 He just gave her an easy-going grin as he set the boxes on top of one of their kitchen counters. Ashley hadn't even noticed that they had 'Kitchen Stuff' labelled on them. "Moving's such a pain in the ass," she said.

 Larry nodded as he reached for the box cutter in his pocket. "Tell me about it," he said. "Feels damn good being out of Addison Apartments, though."

 Ashley nodded. "I’ll bet." She wasn't a believer in the supernatural, the way her friends were--Hell, she couldn't even really call herself religious--but even _she_ had to admit that that building had felt...off.

 The giant secret labyrinth beneath it and the gruesome murders certainly hadn't helped. "It's all for the best, right? Look on the bright side, like your mom always says."

 "Yeah," said Larry with a smile. It wasn't quite as taboo to bring the subject of Larry's mother, now that she'd been out of the hospital and was now in much higher spirits and health. "Always look at the bright side."

 Ashley put her hands on her hips and glanced around their apartment. "Speaking of bright sides...where's Sal with that last load of boxes?"

 "He left to go get 'em about ten minutes ago," said Larry. Ashley’s father had been kind enough to lend them his pick-up truck, which meant that the three of them now had two cars two move their things, and no one had to splurge on a moving truck.

 "Really? Just now?" asked Ashley.

 Larry scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. "We, uh...kinda got distracted while you were gone."

 Ashley smiled slyly. "Oh?" she asked, a hint of meaning in her voice.

 Larry lightly shoved her shoulder. "Shut up; not _that_ kind of distraction." He walked to the other end of the kitchen, where there was another arch. Ashley followed him through it until they reached what would now be their bedroom. Around the queen-sized mattress on the floor and remnants of the bed frame that would hold it up, there were several opened boxes. "We started unpacking and found some shit. Then we just...started reminiscing."

 "Oh." That actually made a lot more sense, Ashley thought; they'd known Sal since freshman year of high school, and each other since middle school. A lot of what had gone into these boxes were pure memories. "Like what?" she asked.

 "Like this," said Larry, pulling out a clunky grey box.

 "Is that an old Gear Boy?" asked Ashley. "Christ, I didn't realize how old it had gotten..." The Rainbow Gear Boy that Sally loved so much now was smaller and showed games in color. He'd saved up for months to get it. The Monsters in your Pockets game he was so fond of apparently looked much better on it.

 "Yeah; technology, right?" Larry folded his legs as he sat down, setting the thing in his lap. Despite knowing how much more work they had to do, Ashley sat next to him. "This thing could detect ghosts, you know."

 "Mm-hmm." Ashley still didn't know if she believed that; it just looked like a handheld gaming device, to her.

 "Led us to Conspiracy Theory #1. And learning that my dad really did leave us."

 That had, apparently, been a hard blow to Larry. The times that Ashley came to visit him, Todd, and Chug afterwards, he'd seemed really down for weeks after. Most of the time, she realized, Sal had been at his side.

 Was _that_ when she'd started to like Sal? Seeing what a dedicated friend he was? It was honestly hard to remember...Sal was such a big part of her life, it was hard for Ashley to picture a time when she _hadn't_ been in love with him.

 Larry wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they both looked at the green screen. It had cracked; had that been during the move, or before? "It was pretty cool, talking to ghosts. Once the whole 'Holy shit, a ghost!' thing wore off."

 Ashley tilted her head up to look at him. His dark eyes seemed to be far away. "You sound like you miss it."

 "Maybe. A little. We knew there'd be a shitload of changes, though, right? And you're right; it _is_ for the best." With that, he kissed the top of her head. She smiled at the gesture; she and Larry didn't have feelings for each other, the way they did for Sal. They'd dated for a few weeks during Middle School before they realized they made much better friends, but that was the closest they'd ever come.

 That didn't mean they weren't important to each other. Far from it; she loved Larry as much as she loved Sal, even if it was in a different way. The situation they had had worked well for so long; moving into an apartment together had seemed like a logical next step for them.

It was right at that moment that the two of them heard the door shut and a muffled voice call out "Package delivery!"

 "In the bedroom!" called Ashley.

 "Come on in, Babe!" called Larry.

 "Really? We're almost done, though, and--"

 "We're taking a break!" said Ashley.

 "Uh...okay!" Seconds later, Larry and Ashley were blessed by the sight of their boyfriend.

 He'd grown taller since she and Larry first met him, but he remained short; shorter than both of them. He'd hit a growth spurt in their junior year, so the baby fat around his stomach and hips she'd first seen him with were now gone. He wasn't quite as thin as her or Larry, but he was still slim. He'd taken to keeping his hair cut shorter, though it was still long enough for him to keep in a short pony tail. It was still that vibrant electric blue, the same piercing shade as both of his eyes, real and glass. He still wore his prosthetic; it was just one more thing that had made him stand out, from the very beginning.

 There were differences, but overall, he was still the same good ol' Sally Face they knew and loved.

 "Reminiscing?" he asked.

 "Yep!" said Ashley brightly. "Wanna join us?"

 Sal shrugged, making the orange-pink hoodie he was wearing that much more obvious. "Why not?” He kneeled down in front of one of the open boxes. Ashley allowed herself to eye his legs; the sweater he was wearing underneath the hoodie was so long, it almost looked like a miniskirt that covered his worn, snug, torn black jeans. She hoped the rough carpet wouldn't bother his bare knees.

 "Aw hey, look!" he said, pulling something out. It was a framed picture the three of them, Todd, and Neil during St. Patrick's Day of their senior year. Todd had forgotten to wear green and Larry was making a pair of bunny ears behind Ashley’s head with his fingers.

 "That was a great day," said Larry.

 "It might've been better if Neil hadn't thrown up," said Ashley. Larry had sneaked some booze for them all to try; his mother had given them permission to experiment with alcohol, but only in the safety of her apartment. Neil had turned out to be the biggest lightweight of all of them.

 "That's just what I mean, Dude," said Larry with a smile.

 Ashley lightly pushed his shoulder. "You're such a jerk," she said. She said it with a smile, so he knew she was joking.

 "You think he and Todd are doing okay right now?

 "They're probably doing as good as us," said Larry. Ashley knew what he meant; they'd moved into an apartment months earlier, themselves. They were young adults starting college and a new life together.

 "I should give them a call soon," said Sal. "We promised we'd all keep in touch, right?"

 Ashley's heart warmed. No matter what had changed over the years, Sal had never stopped being a good friend.

 "We'll do that, yeah. We need to hook the phone up and shit, first, though." Larry had a point.  Besides that, they hadn't gotten things sorted out with their local service.

 "You're right," Sal said thoughtfully. "Jeez, there's still so much to do..."

 "We'll get to it," said Larry, who was scooching closer to Sal as he spoke.

"Larry's right; one step at a time. Right?" said Ashley with a smile.

 "Yeah, but--" Sal didn't get a chance to finish his thought before Larry reached forward and pulled him into his lap.

 Ashley moved closer to them as she watched Larry adjust Sal, until he was he was cradling him. "We've got all the time in the world," she said before jumping into the cuddle pile.

 Not much more work was done that night.

 ---

 Sal and Todd were at the library. They'd been assigned partners for their science project and were both working busily on it, which left Larry and Ashley to their own devices. In this case, hanging out in Larry's room and listening to music. Ashley and Larry didn’t just have ‘being artists’ in common; they also had very similar tastes in music. She was more into progressive rock and grunge, but she liked metal almost as much as he did; they turned out to both be huge fans of Meatallica and Chained Alice. That particular day, she'd brought over a tape by a new band called Nine Inch Heels.

 "You weren't wrong; this _rules,"_ Larry told her as he lounged back in his beanbag chair, the very picture of 'laid-back.' Really, if there were any term that Ashley could sum Larry up with, it was _definitely_ laid-back.

 "Told you!" She let herself say it in a sing-songy kind of way.

 He didn't take the bait. "Yep!" he said with a shrug. She’d found that he was impossible to rile up; the only way to do that was to mess with any of his friends, and she didn’t plan on doing that any time soon.

She glanced at the canvas in her friend's room. Larry's latest masterpiece appeared to be the start of a face; ghostly white poked out from the rest of the canvas, which had been covered in dark purple-blue paint. "I like your new piece, Larry," she said.

"Thanks. It's a work in progress," said Larry.

Ashley squinted at the piece and pursed her lips thoughtfully. Now that she looked at it closer, it looked familiar. “Where have I seen your subject matter before?" she asked.

"Oh, uh..." Larry scratched the back of his neck and looked way. If Ashley hadn't known better, she would have said that he looked embarrassed. "I was...having Sal pose for me."

"Oh!" exclaimed Ashley. _That_ was why it looked familiar; it wasn't a face at all. It was a prosthetic. "You were painting Sally! It looks great so far."

"Heh. Thanks." Larry's smile was shy. "It'd be more done, but at the time, I thought it'd be a good idea to have him hold his cat while he posed. Thought it'd be cute or whatever."

Ashley nodded. "That _would_ be cute!" she agreed. The fact that Sal was a cat person had made her like him even more.

"It would've been _more_ cute if Gizmo hadn't freaked out and spilled all my paint. Thank God for old newspapers," he said.

"Still must've been a bitch to clean up, though," said Ashley.

"It was. It could have been worse, though." Larry might have been more mischievous than his mom, but he had a positive outlook on life much like hers.

"That's right; it can _always_ be worse,” agreed Ashley. “At least it didn't mess up the rest of the canvas."

"It actually did; I decided to just paint over Gizmo when the paint dried. At this point, I don't know when I'm ever gonna finish the stupid thing."

 "Don't sweat it, Lar; you've got plenty of time."

 "It's not that...I keep mixing paint, but I just can't get the right color for Sal’s hair and eyes."

 Ashley could see how that would be a predicament; Sal had the most striking hair and eyes she'd ever seen. "Yeah; it _would_ be hard to get those right." She sighed, maybe more dreamily than she meant to. "They're so... _pretty._.." Could any painter, even one as good as Larry, really get it down properly?

 "Yeah...they are." Larry sounded as dreamy.

 They both started when they realized what they'd said. They stared at each other for a moment before looking away, embarrassed.

 "So, yeah...I've...kinda got a crush on Sal." It was a big 'No DUH' moment, to be sure, but Ashley felt a little better, now that she'd told someone about it.

 "Yeah...me, too."

 Well, shit. Ashley had always hoped that her life wouldn't turn out like one of those clichéd high school movies or shows, and yet, here she was: with a crush on the same person as one of her best friends.

Oddly enough, she was _not_ filled with hatred or anger towards Larry. She had no desire to let her crush get in between her and her friend. Real life really _was_ nothing like the movies. "Great. Perfect."

 "It's just..." Larry shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant, but a sweet smile was forming on his lips. "He's so _cool,_ you know?"

 "He is!" Ashley smiled. "I've always loved his sense of fashion!”

 "He's so _tough_ ; I mean, he lived through having his face ripped off, but I'm not _just_ talking about that."

 "Bullies never seem to get to him," said Ashley. "That asshole Travis keeps trying, but he never seems to make a dent."

 "Did I tell you that he goes by 'Sally Face' so bullies can't use it against him?"

 "Really?" Ashley had _not_ known that. "That's so smart! Not, like...book smart, but _smart_ smart!"

 "Though he’s that, too. I gotta be honest, I'm kinda jealous of his grades."

 "Me, too." _Sal_ didn't need to be tutored, she thought with no small amount of insecurity.

 "Hell; he's good at a lot of things. He's just started drawing and painting and photography and shit, and already he's really good at them! It took me _years_ to get _that_ good," said Larry, pointing at the canvas.

 "He says he's not as good at it as us, but that he still has fun with it. That's, like...actually really inspirational. And humble!"

"Seriously; I don't think he sees it," agreed Larry.

"More than that, though..." Ashley folded her hands in her lap. She was painfully aware of the fact that she was blushing and smiling goofily right now. Damnit, when had she become such a... _girl?_ "He's _sweet._ I mean...everyone who knows him realizes it.”

 "He was there for me when it finally hit me that my dad...that he's not coming back. "

 "I think he knows what it's like. Losing a parent. I mean...it's not the same thing, but he's got an idea of what it's like."

 "He's...what's the word...empathetic."

 Ashley nodded. "Yeah, that's it.” A thoughtful silence passed between the two friends before Larry spoke.

"He's been through so much shit..." he said softly.  "I don't know how he gets through the day..."

 "Me, either." Honestly, Ashley wasn't sure what she'd do if she ever lost _her_ mother, or her face. "Honestly, it kind of seems like nothing bothers him. Nothing, except for..." She didn't finish her sentence. Both of them knew what she'd been about to say.

 The only time she could remember seeing Sal distressed was when his prosthetic was gone. The look in his one good eye had been terrified, the first time she'd seen him without it; as though expecting she'd be disgusted or frightened. As if _that_ were ever possible.

 "Honestly, I kinda want to kiss all his scars until he realizes just how beautiful he is."

 Larry chuckled at that. "That's sweet, Ash, but you know it wouldn't work, right?"

 "I know." Ashley shrugged. “I wanna do it, anyway."

 Just then, the first side of Beautiful Hate Machine came to an end. Ashley quickly got up and walked over to Larry's stereo, where she turned it over.

 The music just barely started when Larry said, almost too softly for her to hear, "You should ask him out."

 She gazed at Larry wide-eyed. His hands were still in his pockets; he was still trying to look nonplussed, but the sad, defeated look on his face gave him away.

 "What?" Ashley blinked in disbelief. "Larry, no..."

  _"You're_ the one he likes back. Have you _seen_ the way he looks at you?"

 Ashley shook her head. "We've just established that he's a nice guy, Larry; he looks at _everyone_ that way."

 He scoffed. "You're blind, Dude.  Todd said that the first time you guys met, he got all stuttery and shit."

 "Huh...that's true..."  Admittedly, she hadn't noticed anything off, that day. She just thought he'd had a speech impediment. Then again, neither Todd nor Larry had mentioned one when talking about Sal. As she’d gotten to know Sal better, she’d noticed the supposed speech impediment less and less. "Still...I couldn't."

 "Why not? You guys'd make a cute couple."

 "But...what about _you?_ " she asked. "If I stole the guy you have a crush on, I'm _pretty_ sure that'd make me a shitty friend."

 "I don't _think_ so..." Larry sighed. "You guys are important to me. If you started dating...yeah, I'll admit, it would kinda suck for me at first. But I'd get over it. I love you guys; I want you to be happy."

 That was noble. Larry was a great friend. And the truth was, Ashley _had_ been planning on asking Sal out, even before today. "So...you're giving me your blessing?"

 He smiled at her, despite the heartbreak she was sure he was feeling right now. "You _both_ got my blessing. Don't hurt 'im, okay?"

 With a grin, Ashley ran over to him and kissed his cheek. "I'll treat him like glass."


	2. About a Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broke young adults proceed to broke young adult in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Underage drinking in this chapter! I feel it's my duty, as An Adult (TM), to remind you all to drink responsibly. Don't be me, guys. Just...just don't be me.

They ordered in that night. They sat on the floor of what would soon be their living room, eating pizza and drinking light beer. (Larry was the tallest of them, still, and with his broad shoulders and goatee, he looked much older than eighteen. He had no trouble with purchasing alcohol.)  "Beer tastes like piss," Larry commented, washing down his second slice with a bottle of the yellow stuff. "Why do people drink it?"

 "If you feel that way, why did you buy it?" asked Sal. His prosthetic wasn't off all the way, but it was up far enough so that he could eat.

 Ashley had finished the cheese-and-sauce portion of her pizza, and now had only the crust to finish. "It's an acquired taste; we're acquiring it," she said. If either of her friends noticed that she hadn't touched her own beer, they didn't say anything.

 "Why, though?" asked Sal.

 "Because we're college students, Dude; it's what we do," said Larry, finishing off the last of the liquid in his bottle.

 "Can't argue with that logic!" Ashley said cheerfully as she finished her pizza crust. She took a sip of her own beer. She didn't actually think it tasted that bad, though she kind of wished Larry had sprung for something that wasn't light. If she _had_ to drink, she at least wanted to feel the effects of the alcohol properly.

"I _guess."_ Sal took a swig of his own beer, lifting his head up to do so. Ashley let herself gaze at the sight of the scarring on Sal’s face. Maybe it was messed up, but the truth was, Ashley _liked_ Sal's face the way it was. She'd grown familiar with it over the years. It made him _him_ , and she _loved_ him.

 “Sal? Would you mind posing for a painting later?" she found herself asking.

 Ashley watched his adam's apple bob as he swallowed the last of his beer. "Sure thing, Ash," he said. She saw him smile beneath his lifted prosthetic, and her heart fluttered a little bit.

 "Perfect! You're, like, my favorite muse."

 "He makes a _great_ muse, doesn’t he?” said Larry. "I still can't get your hair color just right, but I'll keep mixing paint until I find it."

 Sal laughed sheepishly. He frequently had nice things to say to and about others, but he couldn't seem to take compliments, in return. It was one of his few flaws; incredibly low self-esteem. A devastating incident leaving one’s face permanently damaged and years of bullying would do that to a person. Ashley looked at Larry, who had the same fond smile on his face as she did.

 Sal cleared his throat. "Have you guys ever considered trying digital art?" he asked. He was changing the subject. That was all right; Ashley would take him up on it.

 "I dunno," she sighed. "It seems like it'd be useful, but it just wouldn't be the _same._ ”

 "Yeah," agreed Larry. "Photoshop seems like it's got a lot of neat toys, but I kinda like the feeling of painting on the canvas, y'know?"

 "And on your hands, and on your jeans," added Ashley with a smile.

 "You tease, but yeah; that, too."

 Sal nodded. "Okay; I was just asking, because Todd seemed to be _really_ into his copy of Photoshop."

 "He _would_ be into that, the nerd." Larry had said that with nothing but fondness.

 "Yeah," said Sal. "I'm really happy for him, getting into Harvard, but it kinda sucks that he's so far away from us, now."

 "Yeah; I'm gonna miss the four of us hanging out," agreed Ashley. She loved Sal and Larry, but at the moment, it _did_ kind of feel like something was missing.

 "We can keep in touch," said Larry. "It won't be the same, but it's not like we're never gonna see him again."

 "We'll probably make new friends, here," said Sal. "We made friends with most of the people at Addison Apartments."

 "Nah, dude; _you_ made friends with most of the people at Addison Apartments." Larry was right. Once people got to know Sal, they tended to like him. Ashley was convinced he could befriend an angry bear, if he had enough time.

 "You might have, too, if you'd gotten to know them." said Sal.

 "Eh, you know me. I prefer to keep to myself." 

 "Nothing wrong with that," said Sal.

 They continued to talk about everything and nothing until the pizza and beer were gone. They had no trouble falling asleep wrapped around each other on top of their mattress.

 ---

The park was always nice, this time of year. It was beautiful, with the leaves changing color and gracefully fluttering in the wind. The air was crisp, without being freezing.

It was a pretty good place for a first date.

A picnic at the park was kind of a cliché, but Ashley didn't mind; clichés were clichés for a reason, after all. Besides, she and Sal were a pair of broke teens; they didn't have many other options.

"Eat as many sandwiches as you want, Ash; I made plenty."

Ashley smiled at him. "Why'd you make so many?" she asked.

"I kinda figured this would be a group thing...I thought Larry and Todd were gonna be here."

Of course, there _was_ the slight issue that Sal didn't _know_ this was a date. She hadn’t been specific enough. "Not this time; I was kinda hoping the two of us could hang out one-one-one, this time."

"Okay; that's cool," said Sal. Ashley watched in fascination as he lifted his prosthetic just enough to uncover his mouth. She was entranced by the sight of his scarred lips; probably more than she should have been.

"These sandwiches are great, by the way," she said. "I would never have thought of putting cranberry sauce on a turkey sandwich!"

"It's better than you'd think, right?" said Sal. "I was thinking about Thanksgiving, then saw that we had turkey in the fridge, and figured ‘Why not?’ I like experimenting in the kitchen."

Ashley laughed. "See, that's where we differ; _my_ idea of cooking is making ramen noodles."

"There's still a lot of stuff you can do with those, though; add some garlic powder and paprika, chop up some green onions, and put in frozen peas and an egg. It's amazing!"

"Will do," said Ashley, taking mental notes. "You're so creative!"

Sal shrugged. "It’s something my mom and I used to do together. I still like doing it."

Sal didn't talk about his mom often. Ashley was definitely curious about what happened, but she figured now wasn't the time to bring it up.

Right now, Sal had just finished his sandwich and drinking from his soda. Grape; she suspected he was one of the few people on the planet who actually liked the stuff. She was watching his lips intently, and right then, there was only one thing on her mind.

"Sally?"

Sal placed his soda down and looked at her. "Mm-hmm?"

She took a deep breath. _Here goes_..."Can I kiss you?"

Sal's eyes widened. "W-what??" he sputtered.

"You don't have to take your prosthetic off all the way," Ashley said quickly. "It's good where it is right now!"

“No, I…I just—I’m—“ Sal sputtered, looking about. “W-why?”

Ashley frowned at him. Here she’d thought Sal was one of the smarter members of their ragtag bunch of misfits. “Because I like you?” she asked.

“It’s just…I never thought…you, or—or anyone would ever…”

Ashley’s heart ached. “Well, you thought wrong,” she said. “I _like_ you, Sally Face; honestly, I have for a while.”

"Okay...okay, good." Ashley watched as Sal gulped. "I like you too. A lot. Ever since I first saw you."

Ash smiled. "Oh really?" she asked.

"I mean...I thought you were really pretty when I first saw you, but then I got to know you, and...and you're so nice and...and talented! I love your art and photography! Your Little Dudes are cute, and you have great taste in music!"

Ashley was smiling entirely too large. Her cheeks, ears, and chest all felt too hot. Who'd have thought? Larry was right!

"Don't get me wrong, though, I still think you're really pretty," Sal said quickly. "You're...you're like one of the princesses from those new Princess movies. Except even prettier."

"Sally, that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me!" cried Ashley.

Sal froze where he was before seeming to shrink in on himself. "Really? Y-you think?"

"Definitely." A streak of boldness overcame her in that moment, and she reached forward to grab one of Sal's hands. His fingernails were painted black; she was the one who'd painted them, during one of their one-on-one hangouts. "Sooo, is that a 'yes?'"

Sal took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah. I...I'd really like to kiss you."

"Okay." Ashley took a deep breath of her own. "Okay, then...here goes..."

She maneuvered herself carefully around the picnic spread on their blanket until she kneeled in front of Sal. She gently took his chin in one hand, and tilted her face just far enough to the right side to get her nose out of the way.

She'd fantasized about this moment several times before. Every time, she imagined his lips being rough against hers.

They weren't. Maybe it was because she'd accidentally missed the part of his upper lip that had been ripped away; maybe it was because she didn't go in with enough force. Maybe it was because Sal wasn't reacting as much as she'd thought he would.

In any case, it was better than what she'd thought it would be.

She pulled away, breathless, heart and stomach fluttery. _My first kiss,_ she realized, giddy.

Sal was wide-eyed. She could see that his ears and the visible skin around his eyes and the corners of his mouth had turned pink.

"I...uh..." Sal cleared his throat. "That...I mean...that was...uh..."

Ashley gaped at him as he tripped over his words before she burst into giggles. How had she not noticed just how flustered he got around her?

She managed to cut her laughter off as she saw Sal pull away from her, pulling his shoulders up near his ears. "No, hey," she said, reaching for his face again, trying to pull him out of his shell. She hadn't meant to embarrass him or make him feel bad. "I'm sorry. It's just..." She giggled again. "You're so cute. Do you know that?"

Sal let her push his chin up a bit so he could look her in the eye. She felt him place one of his hands on her upper arm. "Thanks, Ash. I'm not as cute as you, though."

Ashley resisted the urge to laugh again. She knew at least one other person who would disagree with her on that. "We can argue about that, later. For now...do you wanna do it again?"

The words were barely out of her mouth before she saw his bright blue pigtails bob in an almost frantic nod. "Yes, please," Sal practically whispered.

It was better than their first kiss. Their third kiss was even better. Their fourth was not as good, but that was okay.

As far as Ashley saw, they had all the time in the world to practice and get it right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware that, though this is an OT3 fic, that there's mostly been emphasis on Sal x Ash. That WILL change in future chapters, and this may also become a series, down the road. Bear with me!


	3. Sealed with a Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sal still struggles with horrific nightmares, and Ashley makes an interesting discovery.

She woke up, and realized that something was off. It was a gut instinct she'd learned not to ignore; since falling in with Sal, Larry, and Todd, it had gotten her out of more than one situation alive.

It took her a moment of gently fumbling around in the dark of their bedroom before she realized what it was. It was only her and Larry in their bed.

Sal was nowhere to be found.

With a frown, Ashley did her best to slip from beneath the thick comforter they now shared without waking Larry. They'd all been so exhausted from moving earlier, none of them had bothered to change out of their day clothes and into pajamas. Which was probably a good thing; Ashley didn't remember which boxes contained her clothing, right then. Her turtleneck, leggings, and plaid skirt were enough to keep her warm, thankfully.

It took turning the lights on in their living room for Ashley to find him. He was sitting on the fire escape; his back was to her. He wasn't wearing his prosthetic.

With a frown, Ashley opened the window. "Sal?" she asked.

"Hey, Ash." His un-muffled voice sounded far away.

"What're you doing out here?"

"Nightmares." Ah. Ashley should have known. "Usually I'd watch TV or read, but, well..."

"All our stuff is still in boxes." A flash of guilt spread through her. It had been Sal's idea to finish unpacking earlier. "I'm sorry, Sally."

"It's okay. This is helping a little."

Ashley smiled. "Room for one more?" she asked.

Sal nodded and patted the black grating next to him. She took him up on his offer; the metal was freezing, even through her clothing, but the view of the moon and the night sky was beautiful. The chilly autumn air felt good in her hair.

They sat in silence for a moment before Ashley spoke. "You wanna talk about it?"

Sal shook his head. Shadows and his hair covered most of his face, but Ashley could still make out the chunk of nose missing in his profile. "It's nothing you haven't heard before."

"If you're sure." She'd gladly listen to her boyfriend if he talked about what was bothering him, but she wouldn't force him. She stretched, appreciating the feeling of cold air through her turtleneck. "It's nice out here; I see how it could take your mind off of things."

"Yeah; exactly."

With a smile, she draped herself over Sal, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and chest and nuzzling the back of his head.

Back when they were in high school, Sal would have gotten flustered and wouldn't have known how to react. Now, he put a hand over one of hers and rubbed small circles over the top with his thumb.

They stayed like that for a long time.

\---

Ashley had just changed into her pajamas, an oversized black Meatallica t-shirt and a pair of plaid boxer shorts, when she heard a frantic knocking from the living room.

Frowning thoughtfully, she left her room. She saw her mom on the couch, looking as baffled as she felt. "Who on Earth could it be?"

Ashley shook her head. "No clue," she said, glancing through the peephole.

She got her answer when she saw a shock of blue hair. She opened the door, and sure enough, there was Sal.

"Sal? It's nine o'clock at night; what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I--I'm so sorry," he blurted. "I have to talk to you; I did something awful, and--and--"

"Hey hey, easy," Ashley said, in the most soothing tone of voice she had. She pulled him to her; he was shaking like a leaf. "Of course we can talk." She turned to her mother, who seemed to have calmed a bit when she realized that it was one of her daughter's friends. "Is it okay if he stays over tonight?" Ashley asked.

"All right; it isn't a school night, so I don’t see why not." Thankfully her mother wasn't one of those weird adults who didn't think boys and girls should have sleepovers together. Of course, Ashley hadn't yet told her that they were dating; she might feel differently, in that case.

With that, Ashley led Sal to her room, where she sat him down on her bed. Though she couldn't see the expression on Sal's face, she could tell that he was distraught. At this point in their friendship, she liked to think that she was fluent in Sal-ese. "What'd you need to talk about?"

Sal took a deep breath. "It's...God, I'm the _worst._ " It came out as a sob. "I cheated on you!"

Something ice cold and hard started forming in Ash's chest. "What?" she whispered.

"I was in Larry's room." Sal's shoulders were shaking. "We were just hanging out...Like usual, right? And he kissed my head."

Wait... _what?_

"And...and I _liked_ it. I asked if we were dating, he asked if I wanted to, and I...I _do_. Even though I'm dating you. I have feelings for another person."

A million thoughts ran through Ashley's head, right then. The most prominent one, though, was that her boyfriend was crying his one real eye out. She reached forward and took his hands in hers. "Jeez, your hands are like ice," she said, beginning to rub them.

Sal sniffled before he looked her in the eye. The skin she could see around his eyes was red. "Aren't you angry? O-or sad?"

Ashley shook her head. "I'm feeling a lot of things right now, but not those. I think the three of us can solve this if we sit down and talk about it. You know; like the adults we’re gonna be in a few years?”

Sal nodded, making his pigtails bob in a stupidly adorable way. “Yeah, definitely. Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Okay…”

Ashley hugged him close and let him cry the last of his tears on her shoulder, murmuring sweet, soothing nothings. She hoped she seemed calmer than she was, because her mind was racing a mile a minute.

Sal liked her; she liked Sal back. Larry liked Sal, and it turned out that Sal liked _him_ back, too.

That night, a plan formed in her head.


	4. Warm Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teenaged!Ashley tells the boys her idea, and young adult!Ashley has thoughts on video games from the late 90s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that bit of angst didn't last long. :B

They'd made this move for a few different reasons. One was that they'd been together for three years now, and moving in together seemed like a perfectly logical next step for them.

Of course, the apartment they'd found was also incredibly close to the art college Ashley and Larry had been accepted into. In their time there, they both found jobs on campus; Larry worked at the cafeteria while Ashley worked at the student store. Both worked part time, so as to have enough time for their classes.

Sal, on the other hand, was looking into taking classes online. In the meantime, he'd found a full-time job at a nearby gas station.

Between work and classes, they found their schedules more hectic than they'd been hoping. They were lucky to see each other maybe once a day.

Even so, every night, they'd climb into bed together and drop off to sleep holding each other. Sometimes Sal faced Larry; sometimes Ashley. But every time, he'd hold tight to them, as if they were giant teddy bears, while whoever was behind him would hold them both. Ashley liked this arrangement; guys she’d dated before didn’t like it when she spooned them. Weaklings.

Of course, any free time they _did_ get together, they savored. Even if it was doing something simple, like playing a video game.

"A love triangle? _Seriously?"_ groaned Ashley, flopping against Larry's shoulder in a way she would admit was somewhat melodramatic.

"Cut it some slack," said Sal. He sat in Larry's lap as he played. He made the tiny club-armed man with spiky yellow hair say something to one of his female love interests. "It's actually a lot more understated than it could be."

"But wouldn't it just be easier if all three of them dated each other at the same time?" She liked both the spiky-haired hero's love interests; the one with the miniskirt and combat boots appealed to her fondness for physically strong women, but the one with the pink dress and the braid was so spirited and spunky. They were both likable in their own ways, and they both had a different dynamic with the spiky-haired protagonist. She thought they'd both be good with him, though maybe better with each other. "I mean...it worked for _us._ "

"Not everyone is us, though, Ash," said Larry.

She sighed. "Yeah...I guess." Even so, the fact that it most likely wasn't a possibility in this game--what was it? Last Fantasy...some number? Todd would know more about it--made sure that she wouldn't enjoy it as much as she might have, otherwise.

"I'm getting kinda tired of this game," said Sal. "That's the thing about JRPGs; they can go on forever, even at the beginning." 

"You wanna do something else?" asked Larry. "We don't have cable yet, but--"

Sal shook his head. After all this time, Ashley hadn't stopped being amused by how his hair bobbed whenever he moved his head. "No; I got my paycheck today, and set aside some money to rent something from Blickbluster."

Ashley had been somewhat drowsy while leaning against Larry's shoulder and absently playing with Sal's ponytail, but that made her perk up a bit. "Oh? What'd you get?" she asked.

Sal removed himself from Larry's lap, which seemed to make Larry pout a little. Ah, well; Sal would wind up back there, in a minute. He headed towards the counter in their kitchen, where a pile of plastic bags were. Ashley hadn't honestly noticed that there was anything inside them; she found herself glad that she hadn't thrown them away. They were broke enough without having to pay those fees towards the video and video game rental store. He pulled out a Blickbluster case and made his way back to the Playdesk they'd all chipped in for. Ashley was somewhat fascinated by the sound the thing made on the television as it turned on; it was haunting.

Her eyes widened as the sight of a little purple dragon gracefully flying through a mountainous landscape popped up on their screen. "Hey...isn't this that one game with those weird commercials?"

"The ones with the sheep?" asked Larry.

"Yeah, that one!" she said.

"Yep! That's why I rented it when I saw it," said Sal. "Say what you will about those commercials; they make you remember the game."

"I guess that means they did their job," admitted Ashley. She still thought that sheep animatronic was creepy as Hell, though.

Sal made the little purple dragon charge through a pretty green hillside. He ran through a small herd of fluffy white sheep, which released pink and yellow butterflies. Ashley couldn't help but smile. "This game is so _cute!"_ she exclaimed.

"Yeah, it is! It's, like...pleasant." Larry placed his chin on top of Sal's head. There were a surprising amount of positive aspects to having a boyfriend shorter than you, Ashley and Larry had discovered.

"It's relaxing," said Sal. "Maybe we should buy it, at some point. You think Todd would like it?"

"Assuming he hasn't played it already," said Ashley. She made a mental note to invite Todd and Neil over, the next time they were on break.

All in all, it was a nice evening.

\---

The next day, Ashley invited Larry over to her house. She let Sal sleep in; he'd had a rough enough night before.

The guilty, heartbroken look on Larry's face was enough to make her give him a hug.

"Why're you hugging me? Didn't Sal talk to you last night?"

"Yeah, he did. I'll explain everything in a bit," she said. She led her friend to her couch, where she practically pushed him into taking a seat. Then she sat down a short distance from him.

"Ash...fuck, I am _so_ sorry."

Ashley nodded. "Yeah, I know. Sal came here last night, telling me the same thing." She frowned at the fresh memory. "Cried his eyes out..."

"Where is he now?"

"Sleeping in my bed right now."

Larry frowned. His look of guilt gave way to a look of worry. "Is he okay?"

"I think he will be. See, I've got an idea that I think will fix everything between us."

Larry raised an eyebrow at her. She'd always been a little jealous of people who knew how to do that. "How, exactly?"

Just as Ashley opened her mouth to say that she'd tell them both when Sal woke up, said boy walked into her living room. "Ash...Larry," he said softly. His tone of voice was unreadable.

Ashley patted the space between her and Larry. "Morning, Sally," she said gently. "Come; sit."

He did, albeit hesitantly.

A moment of silence passed over the three before Ashley spoke. "So...after last night, I'll bet you're kind of mixed up right now, Sal," she said.

There was a look of questioning in Sal's eye. She'd expected that.

"I'll bet you're sitting here, thinking 'Oh no! I'm in love with two of my best friends, and they both love me back. How _ever_ will I choose between them?'"

Judging by how Sal looked down at his hands, which he'd folded in his lap, she suspected that she'd hit the nail on the head.

"Well, it occurred to me last night...why should you _have_ to?"

Now both boys were looking at her wide-eyed, as though she were crazy.

Admittedly, Ashley felt less than sane saying this. But she'd started this; now she had to finish it.

"Why don't you try dating us both?"

"At the...same time?" asked Sal.

"How would that _work,_ exactly?" asked Larry.

"The same way two people dating could! We could all go out on dates at the same time, or you could take one of us out on a date, then the other; we can take turns kissing. And hey; three-person cuddling!"

The look of disbelief on the boys' faces was slowly melting into something else. "I'd be willing to try it," said Larry. "Sal?"

"Well..." Sal was quiet. "This way, everyone's happy, right?"

 _"I_ will be," said Ashley. "And _Larry_ will be. How about you?"

She heard Sal take a deep breath behind his prosthetic. "Okay...Yeah. I'd like to try it."

"Perfect! It's all settled!" exclaimed, Ashley, clapping her hands together. "Now how about some breakfast?"

About the only thing she knew how to make were scramble eggs and coffee, both of which she did with gusto. She carried two plates out to the living room and placed them on the coffee table in front of the boys-- _her boys,_ she thought giddily--and then left to get them coffee. Black for Sal, plenty of cream and sugar for Larry.

They watched cartoons as they ate. Every once in a while, Ashley would glance at Sal and Larry. Larry had his arm wrapped around Sal's shoulders and was smiling as though he couldn't believe his luck.

Ashley had to admit that she’d grown familiar with the feeling, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can YOU name the games mentioned here? Or rather, what they're expies of? If so, I'll--! ...I'll...I dunno, give you an e-handshake.


	5. Social Parasite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sal manages to trick one of the art students he's dating into getting some much-needed sleep. Meanwhile, in the past, the trio has to deal with a different set of problems that they should probably have seen coming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I delved into my own memories of art classes during college, for this. I am Ash here; Ash is me.
> 
> Also, there is discussion of bullying in this chapter. If you have triggers regarding that, approach with caution.

"Ash?"

Ashley blinked at the sudden interruption. When was the last time she'd blinked? It must have been minutes. "Yeah?" she called, not taking her eyes off the canvas. The easel it was on had been Sal's birthday present to her in their sophomore year of high school; if she remembered correctly, he'd gotten an A in Wood Shop that year.

"Um...how's it going?"

"Pretty good," she said, blending the green paint directly into the still-wet purple. She'd always been fascinated by color theory; she found the cool colors she was using to be pretty aesthetically pleasing, if she did say so herself. "Don't stop me; I'm in the zone."

_"Still?_ It's one-thirty AM!"

"Is it?" Where _had_ the time gone?

Ashley only looked away from her canvas when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned just enough to look Sal in his one good eye. She knew him well enough to see the concern in it. "Ash, I respect your passion and dedication. I really do. But you need to sleep."

"What do you think _that's_ for?" she retorted, indicating the sound of their cheap, shitty coffee maker bubbling.

"You can't survive off caffeine alone, Ashley." Sal's voice was gentle, but firm.

She wasn't having it. "Yes, I can! Just watch me." The assignment was basically done, but there was so much more in it that she wanted to work. There had to be _something_ she could add to make it look better...

The hand left her shoulder. Admittedly, she _did_ miss the warmth and the comfortable weight of it. "All right; if you're going to stay up, then so am I."

That shook her out of her trance. "What? No, Sal, you don't have to. You _shouldn't;_ don't you have a shift tomorrow?"

"Don't you have _class_ tomorrow?"

Good comeback. "Yes. That's exactly why I'm finishing this up _now."_

"Well, if I'm awake as long as you are, I can provide moral support, right?" With that, Sal went to their ratty old couch that they'd gotten at a huge discount, climbed right on top of Larry, who'd fallen asleep watching infomercials, and curled up. He didn’t disturb Larry’s sleep in doing so; that guy could sleep like a log.

Ashley stared at the sight for about five minutes straight before shaking her head and heading to the kitchen. She was going to need far more coffee.

The soft volume of the infomercials provided good background noise while she continued to work. She mixed up some pale teal and added it to her canvas; she mixed up some dark blue-purple and used it to add in some thin lines here and there. But then she looked up, and saw Sal beginning to doze off. When he tended to nod off, he did it quite literally; she saw his head continuously slip down until his chin nearly touched his chest, just to pull back up again.

Ashley shook her head and went back to painting. She added a tiny bit of blue to the dollop of white on her palette and mixed thoroughly. That would be enough to add just a bit of color to whatever she now wanted to add highlights to.

The sound of a new jingle from the television made her turn her head, almost against her will. Sal hadn't managed to stay up; he was now laying on top of Larry, his head on his chest and tucked under Larry's chin. Ashley watched the two of them shift in their sleep; Sal made a soft-pitched noise and nuzzled closer to Larry's collarbone, and Larry sighed contentedly before moving one of his arms over Sal's waist.

 Something was tugging at Ashley's eyelids. She blinked furiously and went to go get herself some more coffee. She was starting to understand, more and more, why Sal preferred it black.

The whole piece was starting to look almost complete. She realized that she would have something she could talk about at length.

And yet, her attention kept being drawn to her boys, warm and comfortable in the throes of sleep. 

She looked between her painting and the couch, back and again, before sighing. "Screw it," she whispered. She placed a piece of saran wrap over her palette to keep the paint wet, went to wash her hands, brush her teeth, and remove her flannel overshirt.

 Somehow, Ashley managed to squeeze herself between Sal and the back of the couch, all without waking either man up. The last thing she thought as she drifted off to sleep was “My boyfriend’s a clever bastard.”

\---

Ashley had dated before; she knew how much fun having a boyfriend or girlfriend could be, but also how much work it could take.

Much of this was new territory, to be sure. Even if it _had_ been her idea, there was a tiny part of her that was frightened. There were so many 'Hows' and 'What ifs' in her mind; what if someone got jealous? What if Sal broke up with one of them? What if Sal broke up with _both_ of them? How would that affect their friend group? How would their friendship survive something like that?

As it stood, she didn't have answers for any of those questions.

More than anything, though, she was excited. Any potential negativity only really caught up with her at night, or at other times of the day when she was left alone with her thoughts.

They already had an advantage, in that they'd already been best friends first. In a way, they were merely trading one relationship for another.  She and Sal would still hang out when they got things from their lockers in between classes; it was just that she would hug him just before they left for their class. Every once in a while, she'd kiss him on the head or on the cheek of his prosthetic; what was the point of dating in high school if they couldn't make it obvious and obnoxious?

From what she understood, Larry felt the same way; he'd do the same thing, for the periods he and Sal shared.

And of course, lunch time and art class, the only two times they could all see each other at the same time, they stayed as close as possible. Ashley and Larry took to sitting on either side of Sal at lunch, each keeping a hand on one of his knees; during art, they took turns in helping Sal out with his assignments.

Their other friends were, of course, supportive of their arrangement; it took some explaining to make Chug get it, but that was the closest thing to a problem that came from their close peers.

The most pressing problems came from everyone else. The people who bullied Sal now had something else to use against him. Sal, being Sal, just brushed it off, as usual. It was something Ashley and their other friends both liked and respected about him, but that didn't mean they had to like that he had to do that, in the first place.

It was all they could do to get Larry to calm down when Sal limped his way to the cafeteria one day, the beginning of a black eye showing from behind his prosthetic.

"Those pieces of shit," Larry spat. "I'm gonna fucking kill 'em!" He was holding Sal close with one arm; he had one hand on Sal’s back, and was making a shaking fist in the other. The sight was almost funny.

"It's no big deal, Lar." Sal's voice was more muffled than usual, since his face was practically being forced against Larry's shoulder. "This is nothing; I've had _way_ worse before."

"That doesn't exactly make it better," Todd piped up, looking concerned.

"He's right; it really doesn't," said Ashley with a frown. She'd taken Sal's hair out of its usual pigtails and was now working it into a braid. She'd discovered, a while ago, that he liked having his hair played with, and right now it seemed like a good idea to try to comfort him. What were girlfriends for, after all?

Sal was exceptionally calm right now, though; Ashley wondered if this was more comforting to her than to him.

"It's really not as bad as it looks; it was my fault, anyway."

Ashley froze. "How? How is this _possibly_ your fault?"

"That sounds an awful lot like internalized victim-blaming," said Maple. "It's not healthy."

"I think they would've kept it at just words," said Sal, managing to turn his head, despite Larry's tightened hold. "They insulted you guys, though."

"What'd they say?" asked Chug. He'd finished his lunch quicker than usual, due to the anxiety of seeing one of his friends injured.

"The usual; insinuating that Ash is promiscuous, calling Larry homophobic slurs; that sort of thing."

Ah; they’d called Ashley the ‘s’ word and Larry the ‘f’ word. “Wow. Original," Ashley said, rolling her eyes. She almost hated the lack of creativity as much as the bullying. She finished braiding Sal's hair, and let it fall against his back.

"Yeah. I guess that did it; they tripped me, I hit my own locker, and one of them punched me." Sal shrugged. 'Same old, same old,' the gesture seemed to say. Todd was right; Ashley wasn't comforted by the fact that her boyfriend was used to this sort of treatment. If anything, that just made it worse.

"That's noble of you, Dude, but you don't have to worry about us." Larry relaxed a bit, and wrapped his other arm around Sal. "It fucking _sucks_ , watching you get hurt."

"Wait, so you're allowed to worry about me, but _I'm_ not allowed to worry about you guys?" Sal blinked, trying to look back at Ashley. "Is _that_ what I'm hearing?"

"You got it!" Ashley chirped cheerfully. She pecked her boyfriend just under his earlobe, earning her and Larry a pleasant shudder. She made a mental note to explore that a bit further, when they were in a more private place.

The rest of lunch passed by fairly uneventfully; Todd changed the subject to the latest Last Fantasy that was coming out soon, and that was enough to hold the interest of everyone involved. It was a nice change of pace, compared to the usual topics of conspiracy theories, horrific murders, ghosts, and basically anything involving Addison Apartments. Ashley wouldn't say so out loud, but she worried about all of her boys, living in that cursed place.

It wasn't until after lunch, when Sal left for a class neither Ashley nor Larry shared with him, that the two of them got to talking about the bullying problem.

"Next time I see any of 'em, I'm punching them all," Larry said. "See how _they_ like walking around with shiners!"

"Or," said Ashley, putting a hand on his shoulder, " _or,_ hear me out...we get them expelled."

Larry raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you plan on doing _that,_ exactly?" he asked. "I’ve reported that fucker Travis, like, twice now. It hasn’t done any good!"

"Easy!" exclaimed Ashley. "I know where to get weed. Here's what we do: we buy it, we put it in their lockers, and tip off the principle. Voila! Problem solved!"

Larry gazed at her, wide-eyed. " _Jesus,_ Ash..." he breathed.

She gave him her most innocent smile. "What?" she asked.

"That's just..." He shook his head. "Man. You have a _dark_ side."

"And don't you forget it," she said, hooking one of her arms through his.

"I mean...how do you even know where to _get_ weed?"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that, Larry," Ashley said sweetly, patting his upper arm.

They reached the classroom about this time, and both sat in their seats. The topic didn't come up again that day, but Ashley still kept that idea near the back of her mind.

Just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite parts of Episode 3 was how protective Larry and Ash were over Sal. I thought I'd explore that a bit, here.


	6. Until It Sleeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're there for each other, through the good times _and_ the bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self harm is mentioned in this chapter. It's ONLY mentioned, but I still think it's worth noting.
> 
> I wrestled and wrestled and WRESTLED with this chapter. 
> 
> It still wound up kicking my ass. 
> 
> Would it be tacky and unprofessional if I asked you all to picture me throwing this chapter at you and yelling "JUST TAKE IT. I CAN'T LOOK AT IT ANYMORE." ?

Larry was quiet that day. At dinner that night, one of the few nights they'd spent together in weeks, he barely touched the pasta that Sal had cooked for them.

Ashley looked at Sal, who was looking worriedly at her, in return.

She cleared her throat. "So, how was everyone's day?" she asked. It was an innocuous enough question; it was safe to ask, right?

"Mine was good," started Sal. "I didn't get a single rude customer at the gas station today; in fact, most of them were really polite."

Ashley nodded with a smile. "That's good. My day was pretty good, too; I got some awesome critique on one of my pieces. Wound up learning a lot!"

They waited. Larry said nothing; he listlessly moved a meatball to the side of his plate with his fork.

Ashley decided to bite the bullet. "So, uh...how about you, Larry?"

The sound of his name made Larry raise his head a little. "Hmm?"

"How was your day?"

He sighed. "Okay. Mom called; got to talk to her for a while."

There was more to that story. Ashley knew it. She looked back at Sal, who looked quizzically intrigued. That would make two of them, then.

"What did you guys talk about?" she tried.

Larry sighed. "Mostly the usual. 'How's school going?' 'How's the custodian life?' Except..."

Ashley was fairly sure that, if she were a cat, her ears would have perked up at that last part. "'Except...?'"

"Dad called her. She said he, um...wants to get in touch with me."

Ah. _There_ it was.

Sal reached across their tiny table to put a hand on Larry's wrist. "How are you feeling about that?" he asked. His voice was gentle.

Larry shrugged. "That's the thing...I...don't really _know_ how to feel about this."

Ashley nodded. "That makes sense, though, Larry. That's okay." She wasn't sure how she would feel in Larry's situation, either. What if _her_ father had left her and her mother all of a sudden, then tried to come back into her life years later? She wanted to think she'd be angry, but then again, she didn't know for sure. "What did you say?" she asked.

"I told her I'd think about it. Asked her not to give him our number until I had a better answer for her."

"Okay," said Sal. "Ash and I'll be here for you, no matter what you decide."

For the first time that evening, Larry smiled. Sal had always seemed to have that effect on him, Ashley had noticed. "I know, Dude. Thanks."

\---

Ashley was surprised when the phone rang two hours after school had ended. With a thoughtful frown, she moved Ben from her chest to her hip, holding him with one arm so that she could use her other hand to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she asked, jiggling her baby brother on her hip a bit.

"Ash?"

"Hey, Larry. What's up?" she asked.

"Would you mind calling Sal?"

"Why?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"He won't answer my walkie-talkie. I went up to see what was wrong; his dad said he locked himself in his room and won't come out."

Ashley's eyes widened. "Do you know why?" She told herself not to panic; it might not be anything. Their boyfriend might have struggled with trauma and mental illness, but that didn’t necessarily mean he’d gone back to self-harming.

Right?

"No, Dude; he didn't say anything."

"Oh, Jeez..." she muttered. “You don't think he's...doing something he'll regret later?" She didn't want to say what she was thinking out loud; if she did, that might make it a reality.

"I dunno...I don't _think_ so, but, you know. I just wanted to make sure."

"Okay; I’m hanging up now. I’ll try his number."

"Cool. Thanks, Ash; I owe you one."

Ash bounced Ben up and down a bit, hoping that her distress wouldn't rub off on him. Babies were surprisingly intuitive, she'd discovered; they picked up on a lot more than people tended to realize.

She dialed Sal's number, almost without thinking. She'd memorized all of her friends' numbers, by now. She held her breath as the dial tone rang once, twice, three times, four--

"Hello?"

Ashley sighed with relief. "Sal? How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm...um...you know..."

Ashley frowned. "Sal, are you crying?"

The sniffle she got from the other end answered her question.

"Sally, what's wrong? Larry just called me; we're both worried."

"It's nothing. Really."

"Really?" said Ashley. " _Nothing_ is making you cry?"

The silence on the other end spoke volumes.

"Sal...whatever's bothering you, we want to know. We _love_ you...we want to help."

Her heart broke as she heard a sob from the other side of the phone. "That's just it... _nothing's_ bothering me. It's...it's just...a whole _bunch_ of stuff. Really stupid stuff..."

"Sal, I _know_ you. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not stupid."

All she could hear were more stifled sobs and sniffling. "Is it just one of those days?" she asked.

The silence told her everything she needed to know. "Because it's okay, if that's the case; we all have them, sometimes. You can't be happy all the time, you know." She took a deep breath. "You've been through so much, Sally...if you have one bad day where your inner demons catch up with you? That's okay. It's not stupid...nothing _about_ you is stupid."

"...Thank you, Ash." She managed to smile. His voice still sounded thick on the other end of the line, but genuine. "I love you, too."

"Okay, good." Ben gurgled something in that mysterious baby language and reached for the phone cord with one of his pudgy little hands. "Listen, I can't be there right now; I'm watching Ben. But if you need to keep talking, I'll put the phone on speaker."

"No, that's okay; you don't have to."

"Okay." Ashley shifted closer to the phone stand. "Hey; let Larry in your room? He's really worried right now. I'll bet your dad is, too."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks again, Ash." With that, Sal hung up.

She sighed, lifting Ben up so she could look him in his huge green eyes. His chubby cheeks shifted as he smiled up at her.

"Thanks for being so patient, Ben. How about something a bit more upbeat?"

Obviously he didn't understand her, but she knew enough about babies to know that talking to them was very important. He giggled and wiggled his chubby little arms.

It would be about thirteen more years until he reached adolescence, himself. Maybe less. Ashley couldn't say she would envy him; _she_ wouldn't repeat these years for anything, nor would she wish them on anyone else.

Ashley set her brother down in the play pen in the living room as she turned on Blocky the Dragon. She hated the stupid purple thing, but Ben seemed to love him, so she could tolerate him for a while.

Ah, to be too young and innocent to know anything of teenage drama or mental illness, or the other problems that plagued her ragtag bunch of misfits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a more serious note...being a teenager and going through all those hormonal mood swings sucks. Having Depression and/or Anxiety ALSO sucks. So going through both at the same time is, like...double the suckitude. I should know; I WAS that teenager. 
> 
> To any teenagers who might be reading this...just know that it won't last forever. You won't feel this way forever. No matter what, you DO have people who care about you.

**Author's Note:**

> For this fic, the kids are freshmen in high school from 1994 to 1995, which means they'd have graduated in 1998. Look for all the 90s references. There's a LOT. Heck, this fic's title is from Bush's album The Science of Things, which came out in the 90s. (1999, though, so it won't technically have come out in the first semester of the kids' college year. I won't tell if you won't!)


End file.
